Gathering apparatus



4 Filed-Jan. 24, 1933. s sheetssheet 1v INVENTOR. 705 /71 Fp/eg/ #m 7,.. fw

Oct. 13, 1936. v t E; H. spuien.` I 2,057,280

' l GATHE'RING APPARATUS l Filed Jan. 24, 195s asneets-s'neet s INV ENTOR. f//As' /74 .5',0/57/ ATTORNEYS.

Patented Oct. :13, 19.36 n' l l n I UNITED STATES PATENT oFEicE .GA'rmt-:mvmrus Y T l ADlliotlonzJlliZllyl. N0. 653,222

l The invention, generally, relates to means and substantially simultaneously with the severance methods of harvesting field crops. More p'arthereof from the soil. y l

ticularly, the invention relates to apparatus for -A still further object of the invention is to and a mode of gathering field crops, such as provide apparatus for gathering lettuce and lettuce and the like, substantiallysimultaneously like crops which enables the dispensing with 5 with .the removal of the crops from the soil. handling of relatively large numbers of small Inasmuch as the apparatus of my invention crates as well as with the packing and loading has particularly adaptable to the gathering of of the same in the iield.

lettuce and has been successfully employed 'Anothertobject of my invention is to provide lo with respect thereto. I shall describe the invenapparatus, adaptable to the gathering' of lettuce'. l0 tion in such environment. which is relatively inexpensive and easy to op At the present time, and normally, fields for crate and which is capable of gathering an enthe growing of lettuce are prepared so as to tire field of crops in a minimum of time and provide a plurality of alternate rows of mounds with a minimume of labor.

l5 and depressions which extend throughout ,'the Other objects oi the-invention, together with 16 field. The lettuce is planted in double rows in some of the advantageous features thereof, will thc mounds, and the depressions are utilized for appear from the following description of a irrigation purposes as well as by workmen in preferred embodiment of the invention which planting and severing the crops. In standard is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, as

or conventional lettuce fields these mounds are well as of the mode of gathering crops of my 20 approximately 40 inches in width and are spaced invention. f' uniformly over the field. l In the drawings: 4

Heretofore, lettuce has been gathered almost Figure 1 is a side elevation of an embodiment universally in the following manner. When the of the invention as used when advancing over time for harvesting arrives, empty crates of Va field of crops. 25

standard size are hauled to the field and dis- Figure 2 is an end elevation of the emboditributed at intervals in the depressions over the ment illustrated in Figure 1, a portion thereof field. About eight or ten pickers, in the'v normal being in cross-section on line 2-2 of Figure 1. case, are employed to select and sever the ripe `Figure 3 1S on elevation Similar to the Showing lettuce and, upon severance, deposit the lettuce of Figure 2 but viewed from the Opposite end 30 in the depressions as they progress over the` of the device. field. These pickers are followed by approxi- In its preferred form, the gathering apparamately twice as many packers who pick up and tus of my invention preferably comprises a pack the severed lettuce Xin the aforementioned vehicle adapted to advance over a field, a trail- 435 crates. Following the packers is a loading ing conveyor on said vehicle, and means for crew which loads the packed crates'upon trucks, actuating the conveyor during the advance of for hauling to the plant where the crates are the vehicle whereby crops placed upon the condumped and processed for putting, removal of veyor are carried t'o the vehicle as it progresses damaged. leaves, grading and repackingl for over the field. v 40 shipment in shipping crates. It is perhaps The preferred manner ofutilizing my inven-v 40 apparent that the repeated handling of the tion comprises advancing a vehicle overa eld crops, including the field operations of gatherof crops, manually removing CIODS of the field ing, packing and loading the lettuce, is someadjacent to the advancing vehicle, and depositwhat cumbersome and is a relatively' expensive ing the Crops 0n o Portion of the vehicle car- `of workmen required to: gather, pack and truck then moving the Crops from Seid Position in a "the crops, direction having a vertical component so as to A primary object of my invention is to pro- Carry the deposited crops in a different posivide a novel apparatus for gathering lettuce tion on the vehicle as it progresses over the field. and similar crops which affords a saving in In accordance with the invention, I provide a 50 time andlaborrequiredfor field operations and` Vehicle. vgenerallv designated by the reference which obviates successive handling of the crops. numberl Il, which is Supported for movement in A'further' object of ymy invention isto proa predetermined direction over va road or high. vide apparatus of theA aforementioned cnarac- Way and Which also is Supported for .movement 56 ter which enables the gathering of the lettuce over a field kof crops in a direction at substan- 65 5 process, especially in view of the large .crews ried in a po'sition relatively close to the-soil, and.45\

tially a right angle to such predetermined direction. In` other words, I provide a pair of wheels I2 for supporting the vehicle for movement- I along roads or highways, the wheels being Journaled in bearings I3 on crank I4 which is pivotally mounted in bearings i8 carried at the sides of the vehicle, and' I also provide a pair of spaced tracks I1, which conveniently can be equipped with tractorshoes', for supporting the vehicle for movement over a field of crops. The vehicle is adapted to be lowered from the wheels I2 to the tracks I1 as well as raised from the tracks to the wheels. Prior to lowering the vehicle, the cranks I4 are swung away from the ground and fastened to the `frame of the vehicle in order to carry and maintain the wheels out of engagement with the ground when the vehicle is supported by the tracks I1. It is to be noted that the tracks Il are so spaced that, upon the advance of the vehicle over a field of crops, the tracks span a plurality of mounds of the crops and ride in the depressions between the mounds. Under present methods of gathering lettuce, considerable lettuce is destroyed because one of the wheels, or two wheels on one side, of the standard type of truck which is employed to load the packed crates, ride in a depression while the other wheels necessarily ride upon the mounds of lettuce. Ihis destruction of lettuce, asthe gathering vehicle progresses over the field, is eliminated in the use of the apparatus of my invention.

In the illustrated embodiment of my invention, the vehicle II comprises a trailer and is provided with conventional draw-bars I8 and I9 for attachment to a draft source, such as a truck, tractor, or team, for drawing the vehicle respectively along roads or highways and across the field of crops. However, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the invention, a self-propelled vehicle may be employed and suitable driving wheels, drive connections between the wheels and the prime mover, and steering means incorporated therein.

'I'he vehicle I I preferably is constructed with a framework of rugged material, such as channel irons and I-beams, and includes a truck 2| and a superstructure 22, the latter being incorporated in the vehicle principally to facilitate unloading operations with the present embodiment ofthe invention. 'I'he truck 2| supports a oor or platform 23, fabricated either of metal or of durable material, and the superstructure 22 includes a plurality of uprights 24 extending from the platform 23 together with transverse bars 26 and longitudinally extending beams 21 at the top of the superstructure. I also provide a longitudinally extending beam 23, pref- .erably au I`beam, which is positioned centrally of the top of the superstructme and which extends `from both ends of the vehicle. The beam 28 slidably carries means, such as a block and tackle 29, for use in unloading crops from the vehicle and transferring the same to trucks for hauling to a central plant.

For initially receiving the crops of the eld from the workmen engaged in severing the same from the soil, I provide a plurality of conveyors 3| which, in the present embodiment, are placed in driving connection with the tracks I1 and hence are actuated duringthe advance of the vehicle over a field. Any suitable drive connections between the tracks I1 and the conveyors 3| can be employed. In this instance I have utilized a chain drive, generally designated by the reference numeral 32, and rotatable shaft 33 which is universally connected between the tracks I1 and the chain drive 32. However, and within the scope of the invention, the conveyor 3| can be actuated independently of the tracks I1, or other movable elements of the vehicle, such as by an electric motor which can receive its energy from a generator actuated by the prime mover of the vehicle, all not shown. With the conveyors directly connected to such a motor, the actuation of the conveyors is controliabie at the will of the operator of the vehicle.

Each of the conveyors 3| for receiving the crops preferably comprises apair of spaced endless chains, each having an upper run 34 and a lower run 35. The chains are connected by a plurality of relatively closely spaced bars 36 and are trained over sprockets 31 and 38 at each extremity of the conveyor, the sprockets 31 being keyed to a shaft 39 which is driven by the tracks I1 through the aforementioned drive connections and including the sprockets 31. The shaft 39 is journaled in a plurality of bearings 4| which are carried by brackets 42 extending from the uprights 24 of the superstructure of the vehicle. Suitable brace rods 43 can be connected across the uprights and brackets 42, for taking up stresses upon the brackets. The sprockets l38 of each conveyor are keyed to an idler shaft 44 which extends across the vehicle and which is journaled in a plurality of bearings 46 carried by bars 41 which extend from the rear of the vehicle and which are fastened, by means of depending brackets 48, to the truck 2| of the vehicle. The bars 41 are so lpositioned and the conveyors are of such length as to permit the conveyors, in open position, to be carried relatively close to the ground and preferably just above the growing crops. A retaining guard 49 is fastened to the bars 48 and extends across all of the conveyors 3|. .Lettuce which is tossed upon the conveyors during the progress of the vehicle over a field has a tendency to roll 'away from the vehicle and the guard 49 prevents the falling of the crops to the ground. The advancing bars 36 of the conveyors pick up lettuce resting against the f guard 49 and carry the same to the vehicle. It should be observed that the conveyors 3| are driven in a clockwise direction, as indicated in the drawings, and that the upper runs 34 thereof move in the same direction as the direction of advance of the vehicle over the field.

As stated above, the vehicle of my apparatus has been designed for movement along roads or highways in predetermined directions upon the wheels I2, as indicated by the arrows in Figures 2 and 3, and"for movement over a field of crops at substantially a right angle to such predetermined direction upon the tracks I1, as indicated by the arrow in Figure 1. When traveling along roads or highways the conveyors 3| are carried at the side of the vehicle, rather than at the rear thereof, due to the change in direction of movement of the vehicle. In order to conform to trailic regulations, I have providedmeans for collapsing the conveyors 3| and for retaining the conveyors adjacent the uprights 24 of the superstructure. These means include pivotal mountings for the bars 41, as indicated at SIL, as well as hooks 5I carried by the uprights 24 of 'I'he apparatus of my invention also includes a 75 plurality of containers 53 which are adapted to be removably mounted upon the platform 23 of the vehicle Il, as illustrated in the drawings.

,The containers. which I preferably employ have a capacity equivalentyto the capacities of approximately fteen to eighteen of the present or conventional type of lettuce 1 crates and each container comprises an open top structure of generally rectangular configuration fabricated preferably of a vmetal such` as iron. In the embodiment of container shown, I form the bottom of a plurality of relatively closely spaced iron straps which terminate at the ends of the bottom; The sides and the ends 56 of the cgntainer also are formed of relatively closelyspaced metal straps 51 which extend entirely about the sides and ends of the container. A plurality of straps 58, spacedat greater distances than the straps 51, .extend transversely of the sides 54 as well as transversely ,of the bottom of the container.` Reinforcing strapsl 59 are provided at the several joints of the container.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated,

the conveyors 3| are so mounted and arrangedy that each conveyor serves and illls two containers during the traverse oi' the field by the vehicle.- After the containers arelled they are transferred from the platformV 23 lof the vehicle to trucks for hauling to the plant, by means of the block and tackle 29 which is slidably carried by the beam 28, and a sling 6I is conveniently provided for` connecting the block and tackle to each container.

While I have illustrated and described one means of transferring the gathered crops from the vehicle il to hauling trucks, it may be oby served that other means can be incorporated For example, it is possible to install the platform 23 of the vehicle Ii at the same level as the hauling truck and to equip'the platform with a plurality of rollers, not shown. The filled containers 53can thus be manually moved, with the aid of the rollers on the platform, from the vehicle to the truck for hauling to the plant. Ramps can be employed to facilitate the transfer of the containers to the hauling truck. `Another means of transferring the crops to a hauling truck can comprise a conveyor mounted for movement at substantially right angles to the conveyors 3|, so that the lettuce carried to the vehicle by the conveyors 3l is deposited on this suggested transversely-moving conveyor. The hauling truck can be advanced along with the vehicle Il over the field and can be equipped with a chute or inclined platform which establishes communication with the transverse conveyor and hence receives the crops directly from the vehicle. By this method and means the crops are continuouslyin motion from the time of deposition upon the conveyors 3l until they reach the hauling truck. The body of the hauling truck can constitute a relatively large receptacle for the reception of the lettuce from the vehicle. v

summarizing the above description of the embodiment of my invention, it will be observed that when it is desirous of gathering the crop of a field, the vehicle H is moved upon the supports I2 along the road or highway to the eld where it is lowered to the tracks I1 and the wheels I2 are drawn up and retained against the truck 2|. While travelling over the highway or road to the field. the conveyors 3| are in collapsed position and retained adjacent theuprights 24, but upon reaching the field, the conveyors 3| are lowered and extend rearwardly or trail the vehicle. The vehicle is then advanced over the eld with the tracks travelling in the depressions and spanning a plurality of lettuce mounds. A group of pickers follow thevehicle which are subsequently transferred from the vehicle to the hauling truck. At the conclusion of operations in one ileld the vehicle'can be raised from the tracks i1 to the supports i2 and then moved to some.other field for `gathering the crops.

While I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention in the accompanying drawings, it is tobe understood that I am not to be limited to the embodiment shown, as my invention, as dened in the appended claims, can be embodied in a plurality and variety of forms.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for gathering a row crop, such as lettuce, comprising a vehicle movable over a A ileld containing -said crop in rows, a trailing conveyor of sunlcient width to extend over a plurality of said rows and disposed on said vehicle with its trailing end relatively low and -its leading, discharge end relatively high, and a receiving container considerably narrower than said conveyor located directly under the discharge end of said conveyor and shiftable transversely of said vehicle to receive said crop from diierent vehicle for lifting said container and moving said container laterally to any of a plurality of laterally displaced positions in front of said con- 

